Containment

Writer's note: I've been told Rampage was quite out of character in the first fic. This is deliberate. I'm exploring the side of him showed to us in the episode 'Transmutate'. I found it interesting how a psychopathic killer like Rampage could behave when he found something he wanted to keep alive and for himself. He was calm, protective and gentle. Many human killers use such traits to lure victims.

The leaves crunched beneath his feet and he mentally cursed them for making such a noise. He clutched the energon feeder in one hand, while his free hand casually stroked his gun from time to time. Stealing the feeder had taken longer than expected. Megatron had been keeping a close eye on him for the past few days, and so a week had passed before he finally made it to the storage compartment, and snuck one of the feeders out.

As he strolled through the forest, he kept his wits about him. He didn't want to be snuck up on, even though that was his own intention. The energon radiation had cleared now, and so finding Myst's signature was easy. He was surprised Megatron hadn't come after her yet. Maybe he was waiting to see what he'd do when he found Myst. Rampage snickered at that thought. Megatron liked to play mind games as much as he did. Perhaps the tyrant had suspicions about him as to why he'd been almost keen to go on patrol several days ago.

The light filtered down in shafts through the jungle canopy. It was midway through the morning. The air was warm and moist. Myst was, as far as his internal scanners read, at the edge of the jungle. She probably braved leaving it occasionally for some fresh air It was very claustrophobic in here. Rampage shuddered at the memory of being led to his pod to be sealed for life... All those years ago, back on Omicron, they'd decided on a fate worse than death. Put him in a coffin - alive - and dump him far, far away, somewhere in the Universe.

And they call me the sadist.

But he was, wasn't he? He couldn't deny that splitting the chest plates of bots, tearing out their sparks from their containers and sucking the energy out of them like eggs had been...enjoyable. He'd hated doing it. It had made him feel sick, ashamed almost and yet...there was that perverted sense of justification. The scientists and military heads made him to be the monster that would defend their pitiful race, and they were furious that he should decide to have a mind, have a will to live free...and so they punished him. Tortured him, tormented him, twisted his psyche beyond sanity. If you won't protect us, then you're deemed a threat. If you won't serve as a super soldier and a drone to the Maximals for their protection, then you shall suffer. How dare you deny your creators the satisfaction of being awarded for their efforts and success in Project X? You cost us money! You cost us time! You are WORTHLESS! How can we free you into society? No one could love you! No one could accept you! You'd be far too conspicuous. No, failed experiments cannot be displayed to the public. Merely creating you was a sin in the first place. We see that now. We shall use you then, to test your limits, so that maybe, should the need call for it, we could make another like you. But first we need to see how far you can go, what we got right in you, and what we did wrong. You are no use as a soldier, but you will unwillingly dedicate your life and your body to science.

Curse them! Curse them all! He was justified in showing them just what a soldier he could be! The looks on their faces when he killed their families, their co-workers and lastly, them - there are no words to describe the exhilaration, the satisfaction, the thrill of that revenge!

Rampage paused in his reverie when a few birds fluttered upwards ahead of him. He was at the edge of the jungle now. Myst would be near by.

He carefully made his way through the tangled underbrush and called up his tracking screen. Myst's yellow Predacon signature lit up to show her proximity to him. She was meters away now.

He cleared his vision of the tracking screen and relied on good old fashioned eyesight for the last few seconds of his journey. There, through the trees and by a stream, he saw her. She was kneeling over it, splashing her face. Her back was to him. Her fragile, feminine black body glinted in the dappled sunlight. The golden shafts of light created a warm, comforting atmosphere. The only thing missing was the twitter of birds. They'd gone silent at his approach. Myst, the amateur, had failed to notice that. If she was aware of him, she made no sign of it.

Prone. She was hunched over the stream, absorbed in splashing her face to cool her hot metal. She was barely half his size. Vulnerable. She'd never win in a fight with him. Weak. He knew this jungle better than she. She could never escape him. He stopped and stared at her, fingering the energon feeder he had brought for her. Why had he come here, really? She trusted him now. She was expecting him. She'd never suspect him of...

Then it happened. The dull throbbing in his head, the cold prickling in his blood. He heard the distant screams and wails of all his previous victims. Vague mental flashes of their pained faces taunted him. It had been so long since he'd broken a body...since he'd sliced open a chest, tasted the raw, pulsating energy of a spark. Savoured the terror, the shock, the pain they radiated as he squeezed them in his powerful hands. He envisaged picking Myst up from behind by the head, flicking her gun away from her side for convenience, ripping off her wings and holding her to his face. He'd snap her arms and break her legs in two swift moves. Immobilised, she'd stare at him in agony and in horror. Then he'd throw her to the ground, and...

She knelt upright and let out a sigh. She was looking ahead now at the open expanse of tall grass that one could see through the last few trees. His throat had closed up, his body had tensed. She was so vulnerable. He took a few steps forward and reached out for her.

She turned suddenly, and he froze.

"Rampage?" she blurted, eyes wide. He stared at her, looking equally surprised.

"Myst..." he croaked, and slowly brought up the hand with the energon feeder. "H-here..." he said quietly.

Her gaze softened and she got to her feet calmly. "You actually came back," she said gently. "I was beginning to think you'd never return."

"I was held up. Megatron was watching me like a hawk."

She regarded him steadily, and he detected a hint of curiosity in her eyes. She was thinking things over about him. He could see her reading his body language and analysing his tone. She was an empath which meant...which meant she might have sensed him...and his emotions.

"Wouldn't he still be watching you? He has computer scanners, has he not?"

"Yes, but I don't show up on his scanners."

"How come?"

Rampage let his arms come to rest by his side so that he looked more relaxed. He was still feeling tense and restless.

"I...'acquired' a signature blocker from Tarantulas. He wasn't overly keen on giving it to me, but we struck a deal."

"What kind of deal?"

"Do you always ask so many questions?"

"Do you always try to avoid them?" she retorted.

They stared at each other for a lengthy moment, before Rampage averted his gaze. "The deal was simple. The blocker, or his life."

She snorted and smirked. "I see how you do business." She walked past him and took the energon feeder casually from his hand. He turned around and watched her clip the energon feeder to her side and walk a few paces to a tree. She leaned against the tree and folded her arms.

"So...what's with the tension? You hiding something from me, Rampage?"

"You tell me, empath," he replied coolly. A small smile flickered across her lips before she shifted on her feet and stood upright. "You gonna show me the energon today? I found a couple of small cubes but as you can imagine, they're not easy to digest, so I haven't had a good refuelling in a long time."

"Shame. You must be weak and frail, then," Rampage said slowly. What was he doing here? He was still deciding. How much longer was he going to play this game of trust and betrayal with this femmebot? That was his plan, after all. A different strategy before the kill. He wanted to draw this one out, so that when the moment of betrayal came, he could enjoy the look of shock on her face all the more. And yet somehow, he didn't feel ready to kill her. He was impatient, yes, but he was also curious. There was something about Myst that he found alluring. She was an attractive femme, but then...they all were. It was more to do with her character. Her bright intelligence and sharpness. How long could he pull her along, or did she already know? There was something in her eyes...

"You gonna show me the energon deposits or not? I'm starving!" she uttered. Rampage snapped out of his daze and grunted. He turned, beckoning her with his hand.

"This way. Follow me..."

Megatron leaned back in his chair while Tarantulas stared at his computer monitor. The spider tapped a few buttons lightly, accessing some more information about the program on the screen. He was concentrating and occasionally, he hummed and mused a little to himself as he looked over the weapon design.

After five cycles, Megatron noticed Tarantulas's posture change into a more relaxed one, as he shifted away from the computer and looked at his feet in thought.

"Well?" the Predacon leader pressed.

Tarantulas turned around and folded his arms smugly. "Not bad. It could work. It needs a few adjustments, though."

"I expected so. Will you be so kind as to help me make those adjustments?" Megatron asked.

Tarantulas just stared at him, optics narrowing.

"You're wondering what's in this for you, aren't you?" Megatron sighed.

"The thought had crossed my mind. I am temporarily allied with you, not aligned," Tarantulas reminded him.

Megatron nodded slowly, thinking. "What is it that you want?"

"Parts. I'm short. You have extra."

"That's all? You just want to take some spare parts and equipment?" Megatron asked, surprised at the spider's meagre request.

"Yes."

Megatron mulled over it for a while, trying to think why Tarantulas would want something so trivial from him. There had to be ulterior motives in the request. Tarantulas always had ulterior motives.

"Very well, but only under my surveillance. I don't want you taking things I don't have spares of."

"Agreed," Tarantulas said. He made to leave, but Megatron stopped him.

"So what exactly do you need in order to make these adjustments?" Megatron questioned suddenly, but his tone of voice, although calm, had an edge to it.

Tarantulas stopped in his tracks and, without facing him, said: "A power converter. One from a living Transformer body. It's the only converter on this planet complex and powerful enough to fit the specifications of your weapon."

Megatron raised an optic ridge. "And how are you going to obtain that? Transformers can't live without power converters."

Tarantulas smiled mentally. "I have an idea... I'll be back with the missing parts in a day or so. We can start on your weapon then. I'll email you a list of the parts I want. Have them ready for when I return."

With those final words, Tarantulas transformed to vehicle mode, and drove out of the Darkside. Megatron stared after him thoughtfully. He had a strong idea where Tarantulas would be getting that power converter from. And it worked fine for him. Still, it was obvious that Tarantulas had something up his proverbial sleeve. He'd have to keep a very close eye on him.

He turned back to his monitors and smiled darkly. Once this weapon was built, he'd have less to worry about.

Rhinox stared at his monitors and frowned. He'd been casually monitoring Myst's signature since the radiation had cleared four days ago. So far, her movements had been regular. She'd sleep in one spot in the jungle, head off to a small stash of energon, go to the stream for water and then head back to her sleeping place. He wondered how she was coping without proper equipment. He could only glean from the scanners whether she was alive, dead or in stasis lock. No bot could digest energon without a feeder. She didn't have one. It'd only be another three days or so before she'd pass out. Even though she was not aligned with them, he worried for her. There was something haunting about watching a fellow transformer starve in the wilderness. It felt wrong to do nothing.

Depth Charge's message of their offer to let her use their base for refuelling had never been delivered, thanks to Rampage. The curious thing was that the crabbot hadn't shown up on the base's scanners. Depth Charge used a specially modified internal scanner that was tuned into the energy patterns of Rampage's spark. It was alarming that the maniacal Predacon had been with Myst when Depth Charge found her. The peculiar thing was, though, that he hadn't hurt her. Not physically, according to Depth Charge. He'd said she'd been hiding under a tree, watching the battle between them. She hadn't looked hurt or frightened. And after he'd gone offline, Rampage hadn't killed her or taken her back to Predacon base. That much was evident. So what exactly was he doing out there with Myst?

It was a question that had puzzled him and Optimus for the past few days. Optimus decided that sending Depth Charge out again might still be the best way to call her in. If he sent anyone else, and Rampage was with her...well, at least Depth Charge could more or less hold his own. He knew Rampage better than anyone, after all.

What was making Rhinox frown now, was that Myst's movement pattern had just changed. She'd left the jungle and headed north, making a beeline for some stable energon a few hundred miles away. How could she know about that? Who had told her?

Surely not Rampage. What good would that have done him?

His thoughts were interrupted by Rattrap.

"Goin' on scout patrol. Just lettin' ya know," the transmetal said nonchalantly as he made his way past Rhinox to the blast doors.

"Rattrap, wait."

He paused and looked at Rhinox expectantly.

"Avoid Grid Baltro. I know sometimes patrols go through that grid to gather or check the energon there, but Myst's heading over there now, and for all we know Rampage could be with her. It's the only way I reckon she could have found out about it in the first place. It'd be dangerous for you to stumble on them alone, so I suggest you steer clear of it."

A strange expression came onto Rattrap's face for a brief moment, before he cleared his throat and nodded a short nod. "Right. Got ya. You gonna let Optimus know about missy's discovery of our regular energon joint?"

"Of course. I'm sure he'd be curious to see how she plans on using the energon. I'm guessing he'll send Depth Charge out to investigate."

Rattrap transformed to vehicle mode and revved up. "Lemme know if fish face needs back-up. He'll never admit it to me."

"Will do."

Rattrap commanded the blast doors to open, and sped out. He had no intention of avoiding the area. He knew Rhinox would be watching him on the screens, so he'd have to use a trick. Tarantulas wasn't the only one smart enough to create a sig. blocker. His was still in its beta days, but this would be a good opportunity to field test it. It was a model Rhinox had worked on originally, but he'd gotten side-tracked with something else and Rattrap had taken it to add his own personal touches to. After the Axalon went down, everyone assumed the test model went down with it. The only reason Rattrap had never revealed to them that he still had it, was privacy. He needed a little alone time now and then, and he'd wanted to achieve that with the signature blocker. Of course, as soon as he'd gotten the thing working he'd let them know. The technology was invaluable. But he'd have to test it first. He wanted to find out some things for himself about this new femmebot. He didn't like the whole Rampage saga one bit. There was something seriously wrong there and he knew Depth Charge's gruff and irrational behaviour wouldn't lend to discovering what that was. As soon as he saw Rampage, a gun fight would start. Rattrap on the other hand, knew how to lie low, to watch and to wait for the right moment....

"Not far now. Just a mile or so more."

Myst was walking alongside Rampage. The two had walked quickly towards the energon. Myst would have preferred flying, but Rampage lacked that ability so she was forced to follow him on foot. He'd been quiet and moody the whole trip and she sensed some discomfort coming from him. He was stressed and agitated.

"What exactly do you do for Megatron?" she asked suddenly.

Rampage shot her a sideways glance. "What do you mean?"

"You explained who Megatron was but you never explained how you got to be in his ranks and what you do under his rule."

"As little as possible, if I can help it. I aid him in battles mostly. I'm the heavy artillery used against the Maximals."

Myst nodded slightly and her gaze became distant for a few seconds. "Depth Charge said something like, 'do you even know who that is?'. He was referring to you."

Rampage snorted and rolled his optics. He carried on walking without replying. Myst stopped in her tracks. He took a few more steps forward without her, then stopped too.

"Rampage, what are you hiding from me? Why is he after you? Who are you?"

His back was to her and she noted how his posture seemed to slump wearily. She got the impression that he was rarely this patient and tolerant, but he was trying really hard to maintain his composure around her. He was definitely hiding something.

He sighed. "Depth Charge and I have a history. We had a run in some years ago. Look, it's a part of my past I'm not comfortable bringing up." He turned around and looked at her pleadingly. "So drop it, okay? It doesn't concern you. I've already promised not to hurt you. Besides, I need you."

"Need me? For what?" she asked, frowning and crossing her arms to indicate she wasn't budging until he told her.

Rampage tapped his chest. "To get the rest of my spark back. I'll explain when I've done a bit more research and when I've put some things in motion."

Myst didn't like the sound of that. This wasn't part of the deal. "Just when were you planning on mentioning this to me? And do I have a choice?"

Rampage scuffed the ground with his foot to show his impatience. A small plume of dust came up from the action. Suddenly, he seemed to grow in stature. She realized just how small she was in comparison to him.

"You watch my back, I watch yours. I'm giving you the feeder, showing you the energon and I'll repair you when you need it. But you can't expect to get that without doing some things for me. I will get my spark back, Myst, and when I do I promise you that you will be better off being an ally of mine than an enemy."

"Why's that? Huh? What you gonna do when you get your spark back? What the heck are you capable of doing with it?" she pressed.

Rampage kicked the ground again and shifted. He was looking increasingly irritated and menacing.

"That's none of your concern. You only care about yourself and that's the best way to live. It's up to you whether you want to be allied with me or not. Make your choice now, Myst. I'm not forcing you. But when I show you the energon, I will have fulfilled my end of the deal, and I expect you to help me in return."

Myst noted that his voice had gone low and gruff. He was indirectly demanding her allegiance, or else. It became apparent at that moment, that she had gotten herself into a fix she couldn't get out of. She knew if she backed down, she'd probably regret it bitterly later. But what scared her was that she had no clue what Rampage would ask her to do. He wasn't going to tell her anytime soon, either.

Trying to maintain her confident stance and facial expression, she replied: "Very well. I'll help you get your spark back."

Rampage nodded once and turned away, heading forward again. She watched uncertainly for a few moments, before she started walking again too. As she took the first step forward, she couldn't help but feel a sense of dread.

Optimus listened to Rhinox's report. Myst was moving towards their main source of energon. That could mean a multitude of things.

He debated on whether he should send Depth Charge out to investigate or not. He would have gone himself, only he'd already had a less than agreeable encounter with Myst and she had warned him that should he show his face again she wouldn't hesitate to attack. It was because Depth Charge hadn't already tried to do anything to her, that Myst might be more inclined to give him a second chance.

He called the mantabot in.

Depth Charge entered the control room a few minutes later. He'd only emerged from the CR chamber three days ago, but he'd already obtained some scratches and dents. Optimus wasn't keen on finding out how.

"Myst's heading towards our major source of energon. She's never been there before, and she's heading straight for it so Rhinox and I think Rampage told her how to get there. We're unsure of why he'd do such a thing, and how she intends on using it. I want you to fly over there, set up post and observe. When you think the opportunity's right, tell me what you've discovered about her and I'll advise you on whether or not to try talking to her," Optimus informed Depth Charge.

The blue bot nodded thoughtfully. "And if Rampage is there?"

"Try hold out on attacking him at first sight, Depth Charge. If you can restrain yourself and be a spy for a little while, you might learn some valuable information about why she's with him. She may not be with him by choice."

"I'm certain she's not with him by choice!" Depth Charge snorted. He glanced past Optimus at the monitors. "She's almost there."

"Then you'd better hurry. Report to me as soon as you can on your findings," Optimus said, but Depth Charge was already out the blast doors by the end of his sentence.

Rhinox had been sitting patiently at one of the other computers, listening in. He swivelled his chair around and gave Optimus a look.

"We can only hope he's able to retrain himself," Optimus answered Rhinox's thoughts.

"Right. Rattrap's out on patrol. So, I'll contact him and let him know if Depth Charge needs help."

Rattrap was just about to go off-course at the time Depth Charge was dispatched. He stopped in his tracks at the edge of the valley he was supposed to avoid. He hesitated going in. He knew a shortcut through the outer edges of the trees that would lead him directly and quickly towards the energon deposit. It would mean going across a few open fields in broad daylight for a time, but Rattrap was fast in vehicle mode. He was moving faster than Myst at this point. It was obvious she wasn't flying towards her destination, or she'd have been there by now.

He hesitated in switching on his signature blocker. He wasn't entirely sure it would work, and as soon as he activated it, a search party would be sent out to find him. If he just disappeared of Maximal HQ monitors, he'd cause a panic. That much he was certain of.

Well, he thought, there was no way of getting around that. He voice-commanded the blocker to activate, and as soon as he'd done that, he sped off.

* * *

Myst peered into the crater that held within it a large collection of stable energon. She looked over to her right to shoot Rampage a thankful smile. He didn't return it. Instead, he folded his arms and looked impatient. "Well, get on with it. Take your fill. We can't stay here long. No doubt the Maximals will get suspicious of your being near their favourite energon mine."

Myst nodded and flew down into the shallow crater. She transformed to robot mode and took out the energon feeder. She sat down and quickly set up the little machine and tubes. Within the minute, she was absorbing energon.

"Ahhh. I can actually feel my energy levels rising. Man, was I hungry!" she sighed and leaned against the crater wall.

Rampage looked about nervously. There was a smaller jungle on the other side of the crater which was a perfect hiding place for ambushers. If he was alert enough, he usually could sense Depth Charge before he appeared. But his mind was clouded at the moment. Myst was an empath too and it made him uncomfortably aware of everything he thought and felt. What kind of empath was she? Did she feel pain, terror and distress like he did? Could she sense the presence of another even when they were out of sight? Or was she more in tune with other, more complex emotions? How much was she reading him?

"While I'm really enjoying this fill-up, I hope I'm not going to regret it later," Myst spoke up. Her words came out slowly and cautiously. She was hinting that she wanted to hear more about what he had planned for her. Rampage had some vague ideas, but he wasn't sure if he'd carry them out. Pretending that he wanted her to help him get his spark back was more of a cover story to get her to trust him. Although, now that it came to it, he might just follow that up.

"I said I need to do some research and extra planning before I can tell you anything," he snapped. He didn't want her reading into his uncertainty and thought it best that the subject be quickly dropped.

She glanced up at him, her face grim and unkind. "You seemed so nice a week ago," she said mordantly.

Rampage had been staring out at the jungle, but her words reeled in his attention. He looked at her sharply and Myst felt a twinge of panic. There was a look in his eyes and a sudden aura of anger about him that alarmed her.

Rampage himself, while giving her a baleful look, was wrestling with a little surge of panic too. For some reason, her words had stung. He didn't like the present coldness in her eyes when before she had been curious and interested in him.

On impulse he jumped into the crater and took pleasure in seeing the coldness being replaced with fright as he strode towards her. He was playing a card he was familiar with. Fear.

He was right up next to her before she had enough time to react and she scrambled back slightly, eyes fixed on him. He towered above her. She watched him kneel, his gaze on her never faltering. For a few tense moments, they stared at each other. Myst was too overcome with surprise and anxiety to read his emotions. She wasn't sure what to expect.

Rampage allowed himself for the first time to really look at her. Her face looked like it had worn a cocky, self-assured expression most of the time. She still had traces of that expression even now. There was also weariness and some pain etched into her face, like faded scars. She had lived a hard life, he could tell. Guarded and selfish, she was a femme who looked like she had never loved or been loved. All she had ever done was look out for herself.

Like him.

"You don't know me and yet you've trusted me with your life. Why?" he asked, his voice low but still carrying his curiosity.

Myst had pulled her head back as far as she could while leaning against the crater wall, and yet Rampage's face was still too close for comfort.

"I needed the energon. I had no choice," she replied bluntly.

"Don't say that," he whispered. She stared at him, spark shuddering in her chest.

* * *

Rattrap had arrived at the jungle side of the crater just in time to see Rampage jump into the energon mine. He'd stealthily crept up to the edge of it and peered down, while still tucking into the outermost bush as best as he could. What he saw surprised and confused him.

The crabbot was kneeling close to the femme. She had an energon feeder hooked up to a cube and was backed up against the crater wall. The two of them were staring at each other like statues fixed in those positions. Myst looked tense, but she wasn't making any attempt to fight him or get away. And Rampage wasn't making any attempt to stop her from doing so. They were locked in a staring match.

"What's goin' down here I wonder," Rattrap thought.

Suddenly, Rampage began to speak. Rattrap strained to pick up on what he was saying.

"I was a prisoner in a Maximal colony. They created me to be a super soldier for them, because they were afraid of a possible Predacon uprising. I was to be their weapon. They subjected me to torture while they tested the limits of my spark's strength and durability. I escaped and left, and for four stellar cycles Depth Charge pursued me. He was chief of security at the base I was kept in and I guess he felt responsible for my getting away. He brought me in eventually."

Myst listened to Rampage intently as he told his story in a low, almost husky voice. His eyes were locked into hers as if looking for something. Her reaction, perhaps?

"The Maximal High Council decided to put me in a pod and dump me somewhere in the Universe. Someplace far and barren, I believe was their verdict. I was put into a protoformial state and put aboard Optimus Primal's ship. When he ejected the pods while crash-landing onto this planet, my pod came out too. I awoke here, Megatron cut out the core of my spark when I lay damaged after a fight and the rest is history."

Myst hadn't moved an inch all throughout his speech. She was petrified to the spot and captivated by his story. She felt anger boiling inside of her; hatred towards that slagging High Council and towards those self-righteous Maximals idiots. And they had the audacity to call themselves the 'good guys' when they were busy committing sinful crimes behind closed doors!

"So there you have it. My history," he said but he did not draw back. Instead, he leaned forward slightly more.

"Your turn now, Myst. Who are you?"

Myst's breathing was laboured and noisy now, as a fresh surge of fear gripped her. He was almost on top of her.

"I was born Predacon. I grew up hating being a part of such a shallow society. I wanted freedom and benefits, so I converted to being a Maximal. I was dissatisfied even then, so I joined Primal's Axalon crew after getting a degree in galaxy travel. There wasn't enough room for everyone, so I was also reduced to a protoform."

Myst attempted a new tactic and leaned forward so her lips were centimetres from his face. "The rest, as you say, is history," she breathed.

Rampage grunted softly and pulled back, uncomfortable with her proximity now. Her advance was unexpected.

Rattrap had only caught snippets of what they were saying but he could see that the two were playing a game with each other. Rampage was trying to be intimidating and dominating while Myst was steadfastly holding her ground. He wasn't sure if that was brave or stupid. He tended to believe the latter.

He heard a slight noise to his left and spotted Depth Charge through the trees. The mantabot was stalking Rampage, as usual. He was extremely good at it, Rattrap had to admit. He was a few feet away and he'd only just noticed him.

Depth Charge held his gun tightly as he made his way to the crater edge. He saw a glint of metal in the brush two meters away and narrowed his optics. Rattrap's head popped up with a finger to his lips. Depth Charge frowned disapprovingly. The rat wasn't supposed to be here. He indicated with his hand that Rattrap lie low as he approached. Rattrap nodded and disappeared again behind the bush. Depth Charge came to the edge of the crater and leaned against a huge tree. He peeked around it and spotted Rampage. The psychopathic killer was leaning over Myst. To his surprise, the femme didn't seem to be all that worried about it. She was calm and motionless and giving Rampage a challenging stare.

Rampage was fascinated. Never before had he come this close to anyone without getting a reaction of terror or loathing. While Myst was definitely uneasy, she wasn't screaming or thrashing. She was still. Maybe it was because she didn't know the full story. He was curious to know how she'd react if she knew he'd levelled the colony before he'd escaped. If he told her, would she run? Would she leave him? He'd not allow her to escape if she tried. But what if...?

Myst had meanwhile been edging her hand back, feeling for a grip on the wall that she could clasp should she have to stand up suddenly. The crater wall was fairly smooth save a few shards of energon sticking out. Unfortunately, her hand brushed a particularly sharp piece and she let out a cry.

In retrospect, the shout of pain was far too loud considering the small size of the cut, but Myst had been so on edge that it was a culmination of suppressed fear and pain that pieced the silence.

It was all Depth Charge needed to hear for him to break cover. He stepped into view. "Get away from her!" he snarled.

Rampage had been startled by Myst's cry and to hear Depth Charge's threatening voice had further upset him. He sprang up and turned to see the mantabot.

"You won't fire on me in here! You'll set the whole place off and blow us all to scrap!" Rampage growled.

Depth Charge had already taken that into consideration. It was the only reason he hadn't shot the crabbot already.

"I don't know what he's told you Myst, but this guy's a sick, twisted ---" Depth Charge began, but Rampage cut him off by firing a blast to his chest.

"I on the other hand can fire from here!" Rampage laughed wickedly. He turned to Myst.

"Get out of here. I'll meet you later tonight in the jungle." He didn't wait for her reply but instead leapt out of the energon crater and approached Depth Charge.

Myst didn't want to hang around to watch them fight. She'd heard enough from Rampage to deduce why Depth Charge hated him and so she no longer worried about why he was bent on pursuing him. After detaching the energon feeder, she secured it to her person and scrambled out of the energon crater. She raced around its perimeter to the safety of the jungle.

She'd barely entered it when she felt someone grab her and pull her down into the bushes. A hand promptly muffled her scream and she felt her body being pressed against the metal of another.

"Where do you think you're goin' missy? Surely not back into da jungle alone. You know he'll come after you in dere."

She was let go briefly and then yanked back as she tried to run. He turned her around so that she was forced to face him. His hands gripped her wrists tightly but not so tightly that it hurt. She looked into the red optics of a strange Maximal. He had a transmetal beast mode mounted on his back. She couldn't quite make out what animal.

"What are you doin' out here?" he asked coolly, a vague frown on his face.

Myst gave Rattrap such a hateful look that he almost took a step back.

"You Maximals are so full of it," she spat and her wings opened and she fired. The blasts sailed past him on either side but they scared him enough to let her go. She turned on her heels and ran into the jungle and before Rattrap could call after her, she was gone.

Rattrap was bewildered by her response but it didn't take long for the bitter taste of anger to arrive. She had just insulted his faction. After they'd done nothing but try to help her, to save her from the brute she hung around with, presumably unaware of what he was capable of.

Screw her! If that's all she had to say after all their trouble, she deserved whatever was coming to her. Rattrap didn't doubt for a second that Rampage would eventually kill her. He was just working her until the right moment. If she was too stupid to see the obvious signs of that, then too bad.

He turned to the battle between Depth Charge and Rampage and called to his fellow Maximal.

"Forget it DC! Rampage ain't worth your bullets, and dat femme's adamant ta remain his toy. Dis is a waste of time! Let's head back."

Depth Charge ignored Rattrap completely and continued attacking Rampage. Rattrap sighed. Once he got started, there was no stopping him.

Figuring he needed to blow off some steam, he decided to join in. Rampage would back down soon enough. The crab and Depth Charge were pretty evenly matched, so with his extra firepower, this battle shouldn't last long.

Rhinox watched Optimus leave base and head off towards Rattrap's last co-ordinates. Their comrade had suddenly vanished from the monitors shortly before a fierce fight had broken out between Rampage and Depth Charge. The crabbot's signature hadn't appeared on the screens, but Depth Charge had radioed in to let them know that he was engaged in battle with him. Myst had moved into the jungle as soon as the fight had begun then stopped abruptly. She then started moving again, and was circling wide and heading back for the main jungle she stayed in.

Rhinox pondered her erratic movements. What was she doing there? Depth Charge obviously hadn't waited long enough to find out.

Optimus had let out a weary sigh just before he left. It was all too apparent now that Depth Charge simply couldn't help himself. It seemed that fighting Rampage was his sole purpose in life.

Cheetor came up beside the Maximal scientist and stared worriedly at the screens.

"Has Big Bot left to find Rattrap already?" the young catbot asked.

"Yup. Depth Charge is fighting Rampage, too. Myst has fled the scene, surprise surprise."

"I wonder what's going on between them and how she's surviving out there," Cheetor mused aloud.

"It was Depth Charge's job to find out. Guess we'll just have to wait 'til he's calmed down enough to tell us how much he did learn from his short spy mission."

"Guess so," Cheetor replied with a sigh.

The two watched the monitors in silence.

By the time Optimus arrived, Depth Charge and Rattrap had forced Rampage into the jungle. The crabbot had put up a fight for a while and then suddenly seemed to lose interest. The battle was almost too easily won.

Optimus arrived moments after Rampage had disappeared into the jungle. The first thing he noticed was a rather battered Rattrap.

"You're here! Why isn't your signature showing up on the map?" the Maximal leader questioned.

Rattrap groaned softly. "It's...a story I'd rather tell ya back at base, Fearless Leader."

"I'd like to hear it. I've just come from your last transmitted co-ordinates. You've moved quite a way off-course, Rattrap."

"I know, I know. But at least I helped ol' fish face fend off Rampage."

Depth Charge scowled at Rattrap. "I didn't need your help!"

Optimus turned to the manta. "So what did you discover?"

Depth Charge holstered his weapons and brushed some dirt off his arms. "I found him leaning over the girl in the energon mine. She was hooked up to it with an energon feeder. They were talking, and then she screamed."

"And you reacted by leaving your hiding place and commencing a battle without having contacted me first, like I asked," Optimus pointed out.

"I wasn't going to wait around for him to hurt her anymore!"

"Eh, it didn't look like he was hurtin' 'er from my view," Rattrap cut in. The two of them stared at him. Rattrap groaned again.

"Geez, I'm really in a hard light t'day!"

"What do you mean he wasn't hurting her, Rattrap?" Optimus asked impatiently.

Rattrap shrugged. "Well, from my angle, it looked like she cut 'er hand on da wall of da mine. It was bleeding when she ran past me. Rampage was stock still when she yelled. I think it was an accident."

Depth Charge grunted and folded his arms looking doubtful. Optimus reviewed the information.

"So, Myst had an energon feeder and Rampage was leaning over her, watching her like a hawk. But she wasn't panicking up until she supposedly cut herself, correct?"

"Seemed like it," Rattrap answered. Optimus looked at Depth Charge, who shrugged.

"Well they obviously have some form of relationship between them. Rampage sees some use in her or else he would have destroyed her by now. And she's either naive enough to believe he means well, or she's getting something from him. The fact that she has a feeder and knows where stable energon is, is a pretty clear sign of what he's given her."

"You can't possibly be implying that they've got a symbiotic relationship!" Depth Charge erupted. "That creep is a maniac! For all we know, she's stuck with him and can't get out!"

"She had da opportunity," Rattrap spoke up. "I grabbed her as she ran by and asked her what she was doin', and dat he'll come after her if she goes into da jungle."

"And what did she say?" Optimus pressed.

"She told me us Maximals are full of it, shot at me and left," Rattrap finished bitterly.

"She what?" Depth Charge gasped.

Optimus rubbed his head and sighed softly. "Whatever's happening between them, it's out of our hands right now. I don't think it's wise for any of us to pursue her at this stage. I'm afraid if Myst wants our help from now on she'll have to come to us. We can't keep chasing her."

Depth Charge looked ready to respond colourfully to that, but thought better of it. Rattrap nodded and was in total agreement. The three of them headed back to base.

It was evening by the time Myst reached her hollow in her home jungle. She felt much safer there than out in strange territory. She was beginning to get comfortably familiar with her surroundings and was at this stage content to remain here for as long as she could.

She flopped down into her hollow and sighed in relief. She'd run through the smaller jungle until she was out in the open, and from there she'd flown all the way back to the edge of this one. She'd run through the trees without stopping and now she was exhausted. She took several cycles to recover from her stint. She opened her eyes and gazed into the gloom. The jungle was alive with the sounds of animals and insects. The noises were comforting.

There was still a cube of energon attached to her feeder, although she felt nourished enough for now. She'd finish it later, when she decided to recharge. She was still too full of adrenaline to sleep.

Rampage had promised to meet her later tonight. She wasn't sure she liked that thought. He'd more than invaded her personal space today. He'd probed her past as well. Then again, he had explained to her his history so it was a fair trade. Still, the way he'd shadowed her with his size and made her feel weak and vulnerable had not been pleasant. It was obvious that he had a shorter fuse than she'd first thought. Something in what she'd said to him had made him snap.

Myst emerged from her hollow, finding that she was thirsty. Her beast mode was, anyway. She made her way to the stream and when she got there, she noticed the water tasted sweeter. It was cool and refreshing and she greedily lapped it up in beast mode.

Suddenly, the jungle fell silent. She raised her head and listened. The very air seemed ominous. She transformed to robot mode and as soon as she was standing upright she was forced to the ground again.

She yelped and twisted under the hulk of the aggressor. She felt something cold and gummy being applied to her wing missiles while her eyes were covered. Her thrashing seemed to have no effect on the heavy bot on top of her and she screamed. The hand over her eyes slid down to cover her mouth and she found herself staring into the face of Tarantulas. She squealed in horror and immediately reached for her gun, only to find he had removed it. He'd been so fast!

"Now now, none of that, my beauty. You would do well to remain quiet while I complete my task on you."

Myst narrowed her optics in hatred and bit. Her sharp Tasmanian devil teeth sunk into Tarantulas's claw and he cursed and drew back his hand.

"Yargh! Ooh, you'll pay for that dearly," he sneered. Myst was on her back but her wings were outstretched behind her, so she tried to fire at him with them. The shots backfired and a terrible pain seared through her body as her wings were brutally dislocated by the shock.

Tarantulas cackled with glee. "You waited too long to try that trick! The sealant on your missile barrels has already hardened! Beside your nasty little bite, you are no threat to me anymore."

"Go to hell," she growled, and screamed. The sound shattered the silence of the jungle and Tarantulas couldn't bear to hear it any longer. He raised his arm, clenched his hand into a fist and punched her in the throat. Her vocal cords snapped and her cries were abruptly ended. Myst's eyes widened in shock and pain and she spluttered and gasped. Tarantulas's fist connected with the side of her head. Her optics flickered and relit dimly as she started to lose consciousness.

"I said none of that, you pathetic wench! Now hold still, or this will hurt even more..."

Myst struggled against him, but found that he was too strong. He had her pinned with his knees and one arm. He used his other to reach for something attached to his hip. She felt a wave of nausea overcome her when he brought his claw forward. In it he held an energon blade.

"Oh, don't look so horrified, Myst! I'm a skilled surgeon. This will be over with before you know it, and then we can have some fun."

Myst put up one last effort at fighting free, and Tarantulas almost lost his grip on her. He put a stop to her struggling when he slashed the blade across her chest. She jerked in pain and then eased back down, panting furiously. He drew the blade in a straight line down from her chest to her midsection. Silver mech fluid seeped through the crack and he roughly wiped it away. He slipped the knife back into his subspace pocket and used his claw to pry it open. Myst's eyes rolled in agony as he split open her chest. The dull blue glow of her spark lit up Tarantulas's face.

"Ahh! There it is! A fully functional power converter. Pity there are all these wires in front of it! Guess it's time for Mr. Blade to come back and clear a path," he lilted.

A beep sounded from Tarantulas's internal computer and he froze. Myst could barely make out a grid appear across Tarantulas's optics with one flashing red dot. He snarled and got off her.

"And I was so close, too," he murmured, and then transformed to vehicle mode. She heard him fire up his engine and speed away. Silence settled around her.

Her chest and midsection felt as if they were on fire. The burning pain was unbearable, but the deep ache in her throat was worse. She couldn't even cry. She lay there, her most sensitive region exposed to the raw night air, and knew she was helpless.

She heard approaching footsteps and opened her optics weakly.

Crunch crunch crunch.

Her head was spinning from the pain and from encroaching stasis lock, but she could just make out Rampage's shadowy form come into her sights.

"Myst!" he cried and immediately fell to his knees beside her. She closed her eyes, feeling too weak to keep them open. She felt him prop her up against him and hold her close. A soft rumble was heard and Rampage's body shuddered once. Then it started. That cold burning sensation. She felt her chest and midsection close up and her crumpled throat begin to repair. The intense pain subsided until there was nothing more. The sensation began to fade as well. She opened her eyes and saw the retracting stream of blue-red light re-enter Rampage's closing chest. His breast plates snapped closed and silence reigned once more.

She looked up at him and he looked down at her. She was stunned.

"You," she paused to clear her scratchy throat. "You saved me."

Rampage nodded slowly.

"Why?" she wheezed.

"Because you can't keep your end of the bargain if you're dead," he replied calmly.

Myst realised he was cradling her against him. His hand was holding her head while her body lay slumped across his kneeled legs. For a super-soldier, he was being very gentle.

"Rampage I...." she faltered when she noted his soft but intently expectant gaze on her. "Thank you," she whispered.

He watched her a moment longer, before placing her on the ground gently. She sat up and glanced over her chest and stomach. They were completely healed.

Rampage stood up and looked down at her with unreadable eyes. "Get me my spark back, Myst. And then you can thank me."

He turned away from her and she surprised herself by calling out for him. "Rampage, wait!"

He stopped but did not turn to look at her.

"What about Tarantulas? He could still come back for me," she said, her voice wavering.

"He won't. I'll make sure he doesn't bother you again tonight."

Rampage walked away into the shadows and the jungle noises resumed. Myst found herself staring after him long after he'd gone from sight.